Part of my quarantine coping strategy has been to watch a lot of YouTube, of which a large chunk has been booktube. There’s this tag I’ve seen that is similar to the Playlist Book Tag but is specific to Spotify. It’s called the Repeat Rewind Book Tag (original video here). Basically, you play the Repeat Rewind playlist that Spotify makes for you based on songs you’ve recently listened to a lot.

Since I read a ton of graphic novels this month, I decided that I couldn’t do them all justice in one blog post without making it miles long, so I decided to do a written version of this tag instead! I’ve always thought it would be fun to do something like this tag, so I gave myself an excuse and here we are. I hope you enjoy!

1. “Now or Never” by Sunset Curve/Julie & the Phantoms: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

Julie and the Phantoms is one of my new favorite shows and The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is one of my new favorite books. Imagine my excitement when I realized my favorite song from this show paired well with this book!

Plus, they’re both bands that I wish were real. Sunset Curve is a fake ’90s pop punk band, and Opal & Nev are a fake ’70s rock band, a.k.a. two of the best genres.

I mostly put these two together because they’re each about a music act rising to fame. These bands are so full of hope and excitement only to face tragedy at the top of their game. The tragedies come in different forms, but they are tragedies all the same. “When all the days felt black and white / Those were the best shades of my life” because their best days were those that occurred before tragedy brought everything into sharp color.

Both bands also start off with this unbridled optimism (well, Nev does… Opal is a bit more jaded). The general feeling is “Don’t look down / ’Cause we’re still rising / Up right now.” But when each band “hit[s] the ground,” they react to the tragedies differently.

Both definitely face big changes in their music careers going forward. Each band reunites (sort of) decades later to try again, but their sound and lineup have morphed into something new, whether literally or in atmosphere.

The boys of Sunset Curve take the aftermath of the tragedy to start anew, but Opal and Nev have been much more affected by the traumatic events they face. They can no longer continue on with the same enthusiasm. Their fame is “still fly[ing],” but their passion has been dampened.

2. “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

“Youngblood” is a pretty straightforward song about a guy and a girl in an on-off, love-hate, push-pull relationship. These Violent Delights, on the other hand, is an incredibly nuanced and complex book. So what do these two things have in common? A romance in which both people want to be together but also don’t want this because of extenuating circumstances. Along with the fact that they both sound absolutely beautiful. The language in Gong’s book is so beautiful and poignant and lyrical; the vocals in “Youngblood” are beautiful and far-ranging and raw.

On the romance side of things, let’s talk about lyrics. Verse 1: “Remember the words you told me / ‘Love me ’til the day I die’ / Surrender everything / ’Cause you made me believe you’re mine / Yeah, you used to call me baby / Now you’re calling me by name … You beat me at my own damn game.”

If someone turned this book into a poem, at least part of it would sound like that. Roma and Juliette were in love in the past, made and broke promises to each other, and are now distant to the point of unfamiliarity. They spent so long apart that they no longer truly know each other. Roma’s nickname for Juliette, “dorogaya,” is no longer applicable to their relationship. And Roma “beat [Juliette] at [her] own damn game” before they split. (I would be more specific, but spoilers!)

Basically, Roma and Juliette’s relationship and these lyrics are a perfect match. I could probably write an entire essay just about this pairing, but we’ll move on.

3. “Beautiful Anyway” by Judah + the Lion: Legend series by Marie Lu

If Day were a songwriter, he could have penned this song. I mean, his whole reason for choosing the name “Day” was, “Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.” I mean, he has the mind of a poet.

The song’s feeling of melancholy hope matches many of the moments in Legend, especially those moments before June’s betrayal and after they reunite.

Though the song could fit with the entire series, it especially fits with the first book because this one is the least bleak of the series. It is the one in which the characters themselves believe things can be worked out and the beauty in life restored to prominence. There is still the feeling that that they can be “known and loved,” that they can “take a second and breathe in” without the pressure and immediacy of saving the entire country.

June and Tess keep trying to make Day “try to see it clearer / How crazy and amazing you are, and then let it inside,” while Day tries to convince June that “They told you it’s clinical … I wish I could convince the thoughts / That you keep on believing were a lie.”

“Beautiful Anyway” is all about how life can suck, and right now it kinda sucks a lot, but it’s also a beautiful thing. Your life, life in general, being alive—you have to believe they’re still beautiful and that there’s still hope. This is one of the main themes of the Legend series. Day has been through and is going through a lot of shit. He definitely has moments of wanting to give up during this series, and he also has moments when he feels secure in his life’s purpose. He can find beauty in his friendships, in June, in his family, and even in his rebellion. His life can be “wonderfully awesome / And horribly awful” but he still believes that “somehow it’s beautiful anyway.”

4. “Heathens” by twenty one pilots: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

While the first comparison I made was between two new faves, this one is between two old faves. I feel like anyone who has read the Six of Crows duology will get this comparison, but I love analyzing lyrics and literature, so I’m going to explain anyway!

First of all, “Heathens” was written for Suicide Squad (a not super great movie), which is about a group of criminals working together. The characters in Six of Crows are all criminals of some sort, most of whom are in the gang called the Dregs. I imagine this song from Kaz’s perspective, especially with the lines “All my friends are heathens, take it slow” and “You don’t know the half of the abuse.” Kaz knows that he runs with a rough crowd, and he keeps his traumatic past a secret from most people, yet he cares about them as friends.

The reason that I think this song fits better with SoC than Crooked Kingdom is because the line “Just because we check the guns at the door / Doesn’t mean our brains will change from hand grenades” could clearly describe their break-in at the Ice Court. They have to go in with fewer weapons and protections than they’d prefer, but that doesn’t make them any less cunning and lethal.

Each of the SoC crew has reasons for feeling depraved and cruel, each of them is keeping a secret, each of them has some sort of dangerous ability, and each of them would probably not argue if you called them a “heathen.” (Except maybe Matthias… he’s very uptight about that kind of thing.)

And they’ll all be the first to stand by their crew and warn others to “watch it” if any of them are wronged.

5. “What’s Up Danger” by Blackway & Black Caviar: Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

My first instinct when this song came up was to pair it with Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds, but that felt like a cop out. (Although, I do highly recommend Jason Reynolds’s take on Spidey.)

When I brainstormed more, I couldn’t help but think about Ronan Lynch, especially Ronan in the new trilogy. Ronan basically has superpowers in Lindenmere (and outside of it, if you count being able to bring things back into the non-dream world), and we all know he is a reckless, gay punk who would just love to chill on a farm forever but gets too involved in sketchy things to bring that into reality. Basically, danger is not a stranger to Ronan. They are frenemies at best.

I could also link this song to Ronan in The Dream Thieves with his strange relationship with Kavinsky and the dangerous car races and parties they both find themselves at. Kavinsky is the embodiment of recklessness, and the subtext of this entire book is that Kavinsky is a bit obsessed with Ronan. They both have the ability to bring things out of their dreams, which makes Ronan the “superhero” and Kavinsky the “villain” in this comparison. (Ronan would hate being called a hero, but he’s not quite an anti-hero. I truly think many of his actions are heroic in one way or another, even if he would deny it.) Ronan indulges this obsession because his hatred of Kavinsky is an important relationship in his life, even if it’s a negative one. Just like the relationship between Spidey and his villains.

And the end of the song, “I said, ‘I got you now’,” could totally be about Declan and Ronan’s relationship in Call Down the Hawk. There’s always the possibility of one of them exploding at any moment. However, they’re finally looking out for each other, even if they don’t quite like each other yet.

6. “Mad World” cover by Gary Jules: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Okay, so I cheated a little bit on this one. Technically, the version of this song that popped up was the cover by Palaye Royale, but they already made an appearance in this list. I’d come up with this comparison already and didn’t want to let it go. Then I thought I could switch to the original by Tears For Fears, but that does not have the correct tone for The Phantom of the Opera. So I settled on the haunting cover by Gary Jules (the version that most people know).

If you didn’t know, the Tears For Fears album that features “Mad World” is all based on primal scream or primal therapy, which is basically the idea that neurodivergence is caused by repressed childhood trauma. (From what I understand, this has been widely debunked.) Knowing the background of the song’s lyrics make this comparison even more perfect.

The Opera Ghost, of course, has a traumatic childhood of neglect, abuse, and bullying because of his facial deformity. He keeps himself hidden and is a very repressed man in many ways, because he hasn’t dealt with his childhood trauma in any healthy way. The song literally has the line “Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow.” Tell me that’s not an Opera Ghost thought. I dare you.

Whoa, there, pre-editing Ryn. Chill out.

The Opera Ghost is obviously an incredibly troubled person with a twisted view of death and life. “And I find it kind of funny / I find it kind of sad / The dreams in which I’m dying / Are the best I’ve ever had.” The Opera Ghost is torn between his superiority as an intelligent and creative person, and his inferiority as a neglected and “deformed” monster. He wants control. He also wants to be put out of his misery, either through true love or death. He’s “waiting for the day [he] feel[s] good” with Christine as his romantic partner, but it never comes because his “monstrous” outside has leaked inside.

7. “100 Bad Days” by AJR: You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar

You know when something bad happens and someone tells you that it’ll make a good story later? That’s what “100 Bad Days” is about.

Amber and Lacey’s book takes that idea one step further, embodying the lyrics “When all is going wrong and you’re scared as hell / What you gonna do? Who you gonna tell?” Well, they’re gonna tell all of us. The two sisters take incidents of racism that they’ve experienced or witnessed and laugh at the ridiculousness of some of them. They still address racism and sexism seriously, but they sprinkle a little humor in there.  The “laugh through the pain” method. We’re all familiar with it.

Sharing embarrassing or horrible stories can make them less heavy. You don’t have to face them alone anymore. Amber and Lacey can take these misfortunes and turn them around to make everything feel a bit lighter despite the gravity of the topic.

AJR say, “A hundred bad days made a hundred good stories / A hundred good stories make me interesting at parties.” Lacey and Amber’s “hundred good stories” make them interesting in essays.

8. “Fucking with My Head” by Palaye Royale: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I mean.. the whole “real” or “not real” thing? The Capitol literally brainwashing Peeta? Need I say more?

Probably not, but I will!

The “you” in this song who is “coming around / But you act so cold … You show them wrong / ’Cause you just say no” could arguably be the Capitol or Katniss. Katniss and Peeta do act cold toward each other for a time because they have been through extreme trauma at the hands of their government and society. Peeta believes that this torture and head-fuckery is Katniss’s fault, but it is actually due to the Capitol’s manipulation. So for the first two verses and choruses, the “you” is actually the Capitol even though Peeta believes it is Katniss.

And if we’re going on the assumption that the song is from Peeta’s perspective, this would mean that the song is directed at Katniss and therefore includes some things that can accurately be said about Katniss and how she has also fucked with his head. “You scream in my ear / But can’t hear a thing / Oh, I take you down / But you just won’t hate.” Peeta tries so hard to make Katniss love him only to face this only partially true betrayal. It breeds an intense distrust between the two and flip flops their roles. Katniss is now trying to convince Peeta that she loves him, but Peeta’s feelings toward her have swung back and forth so much, he has been brainwashed so completely, that it hurts when she won’t accept his version of reality. A reality in which the two of them hate each other.

On the brighter side, I imagine that the last bout of “You’re fucking with my head” repetitions, which are bookended by “Stop” and “Fuck you,” are when he has finally begun to heal from the Capitol’s torture. He takes a pause to work some things out and can finally aim his rage in the correct direction.

9. “Reptilia” by The Strokes: Looking for Alaska by John Green

This comparison partly came about because both are from the mid-2000s and are slightly problematic because they are borne out of this era. (For those of you who don’t know, I’m a fan of both 2000s rock and pop punk music and slightly problematic but realistic literature about high schoolers.)

I almost chose Paper Towns for this song, but Alaska just has way more destructive tendencies than Margo Roth Spiegelman. Alaska is a deeply troubled person who presents herself as the stereotypical manic pixie dream girl. The phrase “The room is on fire as she’s fixing her hair” immediately made me switch my choice to Looking for Alaska. That lyric fits Alaska’s vibe so well. Her life crumbles around her, but she has to keep up appearances.

Alaska is the elusive and attractive girl who makes an immediate impression on a person, both for her looks and her personality. “He seemed impressed by the way you came in / ‘Tell us a story, I know you’re not boring’” illustrates Miles’s relationship with Alaska. Most of the time, he treats her as an oddity, someone to amuse him and make his life interesting. And Alaska performs.

When Miles finally realizes how troubled Alaska is—when he has already lost her and needs to know why—he is no longer amused. In the “Before” section of the novel, Alaska feels that she is not “drowning fast enough.” In the “After” section, when “the wait is over” and Alaska has “tak[en] over” the trajectory of her life, Miles is “no longer laughing.” Alaska has popped the bubble around her; her death exposes how incredibly human she is.   

10. “Steady as She Goes” by The Raconteurs: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A sarcastic narrative about trying to pigeonhole someone into a traditional lifestyle. Which one am I talking about? The song or the book? Both, of course!

The Raconteurs’ song is from the perspective of a man being told this, and Evelyn Hugo is from the perspective of a woman being forced to model this behavior for the outside world. You can’t be single, because people will talk. You need to have a mainstream life, even if it means marrying men you generally don’t love over and over again. Change who you are, find yourself a hetero relationship, and then maybe you can be successful in Hollywood.

SPOILERS BELOW

In a literal (rather than sarcastic) interpretation of the lyrics, all Evelyn wants at this later point in her life is to “find [her]self a girl / And settle down / Live a simple life / In a quiet town.” Celia is the “friend / That knows [her] well,” but for her entire life, Evelyn feels like she “tripped and fell” into and then right out of this relationship she really wants. She tripped and fell into almost every single one of her husbands, especially the first one from her small town. She tripped and fell in a direction that society approved of. But when she tripped and fell into Celia’s life, the effortlessness became dangerous.

(Also, there’s a go-kart crash in the music video. Just another little connection…)

SPOILERS END

That was so fun! I love any excuse to mix together books and music. I will probably do something like this again in the future, either as a stand-in when I don’t want to write a wrap-up or just as a fun little extra post.

I’ve made a playlist of these songs on Spotify just in case anyone is curious about what they sound like or what the full lyrics are.

Now, go have a wonderful day and listen to some of your favorite songs! Dance party!